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1907 Past and Present Biographies
Edwin B. StillmanJoseph Stillman, father of Edwin B. Stillman, was born at Wethersfield, Connecticut, November 4, 1800, and died November 4, 1842. His wife, Lucy (Rossiter) Stillman, was born March 4, 1807, at Richmond, Massachusetts. They had six children, two of whom are yet living. On the 7th of August, 1844, Mrs. Lucy Stillman became the wife of the Rev. Joseph Hurlbut, of Nassau, New York, and to them were born three children, of whom one is living. Edwin B. Stillman had no educational advantages beyond that afforded by an academy at Nassau, near Albany, New York. At the age of fourteen he was thrown upon his own resources and has always considered the training received in newspaper offices as the best intellectual discipline which he received. The necessity of providing for his own support led to his entering upon an apprenticeship to the blacksmith’s trade in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1852, but he remained there for only a month, after which he entered the oflice of the Summit County Beacon, at Akron, Ohio. His apprenticeship there brought him the usual experiences of the newspaper oflice, and in 1856 he accompanied his employer to Iowa City, Iowa, and with him went to Des Moines in 1858, where he was for several years foreman of the Register office, and had charge of the state printing. In 1863 he removed to Sioux City, Iowa, and established the Sioux City Journal, at present one of the leading dailies of the Hawkeye state. Removing to Chicago in 1866, Mr. Stillman established a job printing business, and at the time of the great fire of 1871 was located at the corner of Madison and La Salle streets, where he gave employment to twenty men. In the disastrous conflagration which swept over the city he lost a valuable plant, and as the conditions brought about by the fire made the income from the printing business a somewhat uncertain asset, in 1880 he purchased a fiouring mill at Waucoma, Iowa, where he continued its operation until 1884. In that year Mr. Stillman came to Jefferson and purchased The Bee, a well accredited newspaper, which he conducted alone until July 1, 1891, when his youngest son, Paul E. Stillman, who had just graduated from the University of Michigan, purchased a half interest in the business and the firm of Stillman & Son was organized. The senior partner remained in business until the 1st of January, 1895, when he sold his interest to his eldest son, Frank J. Stillman, and the firm of Stillman Brothers was formed and maintained an uninterrupted existence for eight years. Since 1895 Edwin B. Stillman has not been actively engaged in business, but has spent much of the time in travel throughout the country. During the five winter seasons he has been a resident of Washington, D. C., and at different times he has assisted his sons in editorial work. During the summer seasons in the first five years he has sojourned at various New England resorts, enjoying in well earned retirement a respite from the active duties which claimed his atten tion in former years. At the time of the Civil war Mr. Stillman staunchly advocated the cause of the Union, giving tangible proof of his loyalty when in May, 1861, he enlisted as a member of Company D, Second Iowa Infantry. He did not leave the state, however, being discharged for disability. He has never solicited public oflice and has held but one civic position, which came to him through appointment. He has, however, been connected with various public enterprises that have proven of marked benefit in the promotion and conservation of the best interests of Jefferson and this part of the state. He is now a director in the Savings Bank of Jefferson. As one of the original abolitionists he exercised his voice if not his vote for Hale and Julien, free soil candidates for president and vice president in 1852, and when age conferred upon him the right of franchise, he became an advocate of the new republican party formed to prevent the further extension of slavery, and has since advocated its principles editorially and on the platform. On the 23d of September, 1862, Mr. Stillman was married in Royalton, Vermont, to Miss Elizabeth L. Bowman, a daughter of John L. and Susan (Putnam) Bowman. Her father was a man of marked ability and held many offices of trust, representing his district for two terms in the state legislature and also served as high sheriff of Windsor county. His wife was a grand niece of General Israel Putnam of Revolutionary war fame. Three children were born to Edwin B. and Elizabeth L. Stillman: Frank J., born January 17, 1864; Paul E., November 4, 1868; and Lulu B., January 23, 1874. The latter died of typhoid fever at Waucoma, Iowa, September 20, 1885. Both sons entered journalism, achieving unusual literary and financial success in that field. The elder is now assistant sergeant-at-arms of the United States senate and the younger is editor and business manager of The Bee, in which both are equal partners. Frank J. married Miss Lucy M. Fallows, of Waucoma, a niece of Bishop Samuel Fallows, of Chicago, and they have three children: Paul, now a junior in the University of Minnesota; and Charlotte and Raymond, living at home. Mr: Stillman was originally identified with the Congregational church, but for the past quarter of a century has been a member of the Presbyterian church. For a long period his interest has centered in the Sunday school and in the Young Men’s Christian Association. For four years he had charge of the Sunday school work in Greene county and is now a director of the Young Men’s Christian Association. Inclined to the optimistic rather than the pessimistic, he believes in the sunshine side of life and in a religion that helps bear fruit for others. His life in various phases has exemplified this - to him - central idea as to man’s purpose in the world, and in various ways he has promoted the world’s progress through his activity and co-operation in public movements as well as through the columns of the papers with which he has been connected. He is now pleasantly located in an attractive home in Jefferson, foot-loose and care-free to enjoy, with his life companion, the pleasures of travel, in which he delights. |
Transcribed from "Past and Present of Greene County, Iowa Together With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Prominent and Leading Citizens and Illustrious Dead," by E. B. Stillman assisted by an Advisory Board consisting of Paul E. Stillman, Gillum S. Toliver, Benjamin F. Osborn, Mahlon Head, P. A. Smith and Lee B. Kinsey, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1907.  Site Terms, Conditions & Disclaimer |